Lead Developer

Lead Developer

Salary: £57,515 - £82,430 per annum

Vacancy Type: Permanent

Location: Swansea, Leeds, Nottingham, Newcastle, Oldham, Birmingham (Garrets Green) or Yeading.

Apply before 11:55 pm on Wednesday 20th May 2026

About the job

The successful candidate will lead the Digital Delivery Software Development and Quality Assurance technical capability for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). 

They will provide technical leadership, direction, and inspiration to their team of software developers and software quality assurance engineers and will be focused on delivering value to the respective digital services.

They will assist the principal developer with team organisation, motivation, and assessment. This will include recruitment, development, and performance management of team members.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary.
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Job description

As part of the technical steering team the role holder will also manage the definition and implementation of departmental technical development and test strategy to drive Digital plans across all DVSA customer facing services.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Act as Technical Lead for high-value initiatives driving development and test standards and continuous improvement through Scrum.
• Use industry best practice and knowledge to make agency policy decisions relating to technical tool selection based on analysis of requirements.
• Create a culture that proactively manages the risks of technical debt by ensuring continual software improvement.
• Lead technical teams in relation to problem solving and technical optioneering, driving and supporting teams to make technical recommendations based on sound analysis and knowledge.
• Work closely with Delivery Leads and Lead Developer management to ensure appropriately skilled technical expertise is in place across Digital Services, owning a resource requirement pipeline against skillset is managed.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public. 

Person specification

Required Experience:

The post holder will be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and experience:

• Proficient in Open-source technologies such as TypeScript, JavaScript, Java, PHP, HTML, and CSS within Open-source environments.
• A sound understanding of value-based delivery and planning and ability to drive solutions through the development lifecycle.
• A working understanding of Test-Driven Development (TDD) and quality software development in an enterprise-level environment.
• Experience in Agile methodology as part of technical job families.
• An awareness of Data and Security best practice and how this relates to software development and quality assurance.
• An appreciation of the requirements of software delivery within a government context.

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for DVSA, please click apply to be redirected to our website to complete your application.